Prof Dr Shiv Sethi
Author: Arbind Kumar Choudhary
Publisher: AuthorsPress, Delhi
Year of Publication: 2024/
Price:Rs.295/
The Forgotten Champion that has been written by Arbind Kumar Choudhary,the founding father of The Phrasal Movement in Indian English Poetry and published by the Authors Press, Delhi on the adventurous journey of the mighty Ahom General Veer Lachit Borphukan who has given a befitting reply to Ram Singh,the Mughal General at the Saraighat War in 1671.This Knight has been artistically compared with Samson, Emerson and Tyson in general and Hanuman, Shaktiman,Murugan, Sudarshan and Mahasen in particular who abides by Vamanpuran for the Pran of the Gurucharan amidst many a Mandadorimohan on this cultural terrain laden with milk and honey.
So far phrasal heraldry of this phrasal king is concerned, Choudhary is unmatched in Indian English poetry. His rhymed phrasal quatrain is, no doubt, a junction of more than three phrasal words that runs wild from the beginning to the end of his verses. This phrasal quatrain contains the junction of five phrasal words-mission of recognition, stand with, good will mission, rising generation and red-haired person wreathed artistically just like the flowers of the garland that spreads phrasal fragrance far and wide.
This Kharbhushan has the mission of recognition/
Who stands with the good will mission/
For the rising generation/
Amidst many a red-haired person?(P.90)
Indianness runs wild from alpha and omega of The Forgotten Champion in which Indian mythical champions-Gurcharan, Haricharan, Balkaran, Hukmaran, Eswaran and many others give their presence time and again and enrich the poetic beauty of his verses to its utmost degrees. Being an ardent lover of nature and its iridescence the phrasal king paints a painterly picture of natural beauty. Bihu,Mayong, Kamakhya and several places have been highlighted to its utmost degrees.
All these 118 Indianised Version of Arbindonean Sonnets consist three rhymed quatrains and a rhymed couplet ending with ‘n’. All these phrasal passages contain a junction of phrasal words in plural numbers. The blending of Indian, Greek and Roman mythology makes him a poet of global repute without dispute. The amalgamation of the ancient, middle and modern mythical champions, the heroic fighting of Borphukan, slain of his maternal uncle for the sake of the country and unbridled ambition to keep his mother land free from the foreign invaders speaks volumes about his bravery. The Orion, Acheron,
Titan,Pan,Zapan,Vulcan,Dragon,Sudarshan,Indubhushan,Janakiraman,Govardhan,Vardhan,Adityavardhan,Harsvardhan,Rajvardhan and many others blossom and zoom side by side with great poetic beauty and iridescence. These historical places-Majuli, Sonitpur, Kamakhya, Charaideo and , above all, birds suicidal place Jatinga have been placed to spread the cultural beauty of this region while such mantras-Basudhev Kutumbakam, No rose without a thorn, Live locally but think globally etc thrill the verse-suitors for a cup of his poetic wine. Veer Lachit Borphukan is the descendent of Hanuman who has become a role model for the succeeding generations in general and the nationalists in particular. The Mughals have been presented just like the villains of India who have trembled the cultural identity of India and shed bloods and carnage of the common herd.
The striking title The Forgotten Champion brings to light the deprived voices of this dark horse who has shown the unexpected success at the Saraighat War by retorting the Mughal General without fear or favour.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
